No headway in talks to end political impasse in Pakistan

Islamabad: A tense standoff continued in Pakistan on Saturday as overnight talks between the government and protesters demanding Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's resignation made little headway in breaking the political logjam.

Khan and Qadri had separately launched protests from eastern city of Lahore on August 14 to dislodge the 15-month-old government and have been camping in the capital since last Saturday with thousands of their supporters.

The political crisis has paralyzed the government and raised questions about Pakistan's democratic stability.

With an aim to end the protests, government officials on Friday met with senior members of Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. The protest leaders had previously rebuffed offers of negotiations from Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-N.

The latest round of talks came at a time when lawmakers from Khan's party have resigned from the National Assembly and the Speaker is yet to accept them.

The government enjoys a majority with ruling PML-N having 190 members in a House of 342. Khan's PTI is the third largest party in the National Assembly.

A tense standoff continued in Pakistan on Saturday as overnight talks between the government and protesters demanding Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's resignation made little headway in breaking the political logjam.